Searching I found DIY oil change guides for older 550s plus a very good one for the new F10 335 posted by gatoman39. I cannot find one for the 2011 F10 550i. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Are you planning on doing one on the 550i or are you just curious? The reason I ask, is that essentially, they are all the same. What you really need to discover is the oil that BMW specs, & capacities. Call the parts dept to see what they say, that's where I got the info. Everything else will pretty much be the same. If you have basic skills and tools and you have been doing this before, it will be a cake walk. If you're new to this, you may want to have someone either help you, or get it done some place by pros.

Are you planning on doing one on the 550i or are you just curious? The reason I ask, is that essentially, they are all the same. What you really need to discover is the oil that BMW specs, & capacities. Call the parts dept to see what they say, that's where I got the info. Everything else will pretty much be the same. If you have basic skills and tools and you have been doing this before, it will be a cake walk. If you're new to this, you may want to have someone either help you, or get it done some place by pros.

I'm planning on doing it right after the break-in is over at around 1,500 miles and then every 7,500 after that. I believe the filter is at the bottom of the block next to the oil drain plug but I'm not sure. If it is the same as the 2008 550i two allen wrenches are needed 6 mm and 8 mm for draining the filter housing and the oil pan. It will be a piece of cake since I've done this to all my new cars for years. The approved oils are listed everywhere including the owner's manual, but the capacities are not - 9 quarts is the number I've seen - I will make sure I'm certain about the capacity before I proceed. Honda told me they use special additives in their break-in oil and to wait until 1,000 miles before changing it on my new NSX so I did. The BMW should be the same so 1,500 miles seems like a prudent time to get it done. I'm one of those guys who likes to be fully prepared before attempting something so having a guide with pictures written by someone who've just done it is the way to go IMO. If I can't find one before the time comes, I may be the one who writes the guide for others in the future.

OK, so it sounds like you have experience, so that should carry you through if you decide to be the first crusader to tackle the f10 550i oil change. The only suggestion I have for you is, that since the engine is in many different cars, have you tried searching for the N63 oil change?
* 2008– E71 X6 xDrive50i
* 2009– F01 Sedan 750i/750Li
* 2010– F10 Sedan 550i
* 2010– F07 GT 550i GT
* 2011– E70 X5 xDrive50i

OK, so it sounds like you have experience, so that should carry you through if you decide to be the first crusader to tackle the f10 550i oil change. The only suggestion I have for you is, that since the engine is in many different cars, have you tried searching for the N63 oil change?
* 2008– E71 X6 xDrive50i
* 2009– F01 Sedan 750i/750Li
* 2010– F10 Sedan 550i
* 2010– F07 GT 550i GT
* 2011– E70 X5 xDrive50i

Thanks for the suggestion. I went looking but did not find a guide for the oil change. I did find several comments by owners complaining about this engine's excessive oil consumption that BMW claims is normal - 1 quart every 1500 miles. Nine quarts is the oil capacity with filter and 29 ft/lb is the oil drain plug torque.

wow 9 qts. that's a big arse engine. I wouldn't be surprised if the engine eats oil, especially in the beginning.
I can only speak for the 535i, although it hasn't been consuming oil, the car in the first 500-1000 miles made all kinds of funky smells coming from the engine bay, like burning plastic. I figured it was just the engine getting it's legs. Currently at 4k miles it no longer makes those funky smells. I just did another oil change on monday, #2. I'm gonna shoot for 3 or 4 for the first year, or once a season, then switch to a yearly routine.

Thanks for the suggestion. I went looking but did not find a guide for the oil change. I did find several comments by owners complaining about this engine's excessive oil consumption that BMW claims is normal - 1 quart every 1500 miles. Nine quarts is the oil capacity with filter and 29 ft/lb is the oil drain plug torque.

Boy... If this the case, frequent checks of the dipstick will be needed to ascertain when and EXACTLY how much is needed to get it close to full, but not more... Oh yeah, BMW got rid of manual dipsticks... Just sayin...

Capacity is 9 quarts, but I filled up with 8-5/8 quarts including filter

prices above are from getBMWparts.com shipped.

View from the front to rear, two access panels, center is the pan, passenger side is the filter. Remove the 8mm bolt to twist off the panel

The Bottom half of the filter housing unscrews to expose the paper filter element. New filter element gets installed numbers facing down towards plastic housing. Add 8.5 quarts and then check for any leaks and iDrive for oil level.

I sent out the used oil (2,500 miles) to Oil Analyzers Inc for analysis

the lower plastic housing that unscrews was removed with a swivel handle oil filter wrench. The oil filter paper element pulls out straight out of the housing, its a snug pressure fit, but is not attached in any way.

the lower plastic housing that unscrews was removed with a swivel handle oil filter wrench. The oil filter paper element pulls out straight out of the housing, its a snug pressure fit, but is not attached in any way.

I know they make a tool specific for the oil filter housing. I just turned it with my hand, but the filter is on top on the N55. Not sure you could get the leverage lying down on the N63 to do that.

Also, the metal piece exposed with the hole in the middle, do you think that is a jacking point?

there is actually good access to get a filter wrench on the filter housing via large opening in the lower panel. I'm fortunate to have a 4-post lift in my garage so it was easy.

The exposed metal looks like part of the front crossmember.

I've been meaning to get a lift. What kind do you have?
Also the exposed metal piece in the middle, has to be a jack point, why else would they cut out the piece and put a hole there. I just don't want to be the first person to try it.

I know this is an old thread but I thought I would update it since it helped me when I did my first oil change.

The filter wrench I used was an Assenmacher Specialty Tools V 410. I wasn't sure if it would fit but it does and works great. Their website says a 22mm wrench can be used on the hex but in actuality a 21mm - 6 point was a perfect fit. A 22mm would work but it is a pretty sloppy fit.

Reviving an old thread for sure, but just completing my F10 550i oil change for the first time, the oil filter wrench is an 86 mm. This is just to help anybody searching for which one, as it took me a while to verify.

Reviving an old thread for sure, but just completing my F10 550i oil change for the first time, the oil filter wrench is an 86 mm. This is just to help anybody searching for which one, as it took me a while to verify.

As far as I know, a lot of the N engines seem to share the same special tool. My N52 and N55 use the same filter and housing wrench, for instance. Having the proper took is nice but not mandatory. It's not supposed to be tight. My M52 had a square "nut" on top making it even easier to find it make a tool but my N5x do not.

Here is a question. The OEM oil filter kit from BMW for a 2013 550 has two O rings with it. One for the Oil cap and a second smaller one. On my old 328, that smaller O ring would go onto the tit of the Oil filter on the engine. But this does not exist on the 550. So, is that second O ring just extra part on this kit?

I did my oil change today for the first time on my 550, it was just like any other car. I used a wix filter and regular ass mobile 1 full synthetic 5w30, I didnt feel the need for bmw LL01 since im not planing on waiting till 10k or 15k to change it again. The same mobile 1 is used in the zr1 supercharged 639hp vette, so its good enough for me.

P.S extra O'ring is not for anything, its prolly for the e60 and prolly the same filter kit.